Nuclear Prototype Map Seized in Chinese Spy Case

(West Milton, New York) A map of the Kesselring nuclear submarine prototype facility in the Adirondacks was found in the possession of a naturalized Chinese-American citizen during a search of his Southern California home.

From TimesUnion.com:

A defense contractor accused of sharing sensitive U.S. military information with the Chinese government had a hand-drawn map of the Kesserling (sic) nuclear reactor site in Milton among his possessions, according to federal court documents obtained by the Times Union.

A federal indictment and probable cause affidavit does not say how Chi Mak, a naturalized American citizen, got the map or what significance it has. But the map was among the items seized when federal agents executed a search warrant Oct. 28 on the Los Angeles-area home, office and vehicles of Mak, his brother Tai Mak, and both men's wives.

The map allegedly in his possession was the first of two recent security breaches of the 3,900-acre Kesselring site, operated by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. It's home to prototype nuclear reactors used in Navy submarines.

The other security breach has been described as hunters trespassing on restricted property. The hunters are under investigation by the feds.

Mak and his brother are being charged with failing to register as Chinese agents, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In court papers, Chi Mak, an electrical engineer for a defense contractor, is accused of stealing computer discs with information about Navy hardware, including a new system for launching aircraft from aircraft carriers.

According to the original affidavit, Mak, 65, stole discs from defense contractor Power Paragon, where he was a lead engineer on a sensitive research project involving propulsion systems for Navy warships, as reported by The Associated Press.

It's alleged that Chi Mak's wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, provided copies of the stolen information to Tai Wang Mak who was arrested at LAX, along with his wife, as they prepared to fly to China in October.

Interestingly, it seems these alleged spies focus on specific areas of technical data related to naval vessels and systems. I wonder how many previous times the group's members took trips to China.